When the young Van Leasings spy a new "wonder from the East" in the garden of their neighbour, Van Eek, they want a tulip for themselves. Initially they hope to save until they can afford one. But with the price of tulips rising fast, they can't bear to wait to get their foot on the tulip ladder. The Van Leasings borrow the money for their purchase from Van Hire, who encourages them to borrow more than they can afford in the hope that their bulb will produce a new one. He explains that they can sell the new bulb on the futures market before it even exists, and shows them how they can hedge their bets. What could possibly go wrong?

In this austere, but playful slice of Brechtian-style theatre, created entirely with recyclable materials, the ensemble invoke the tulipmania of 17th-century Holland to explain the 2008 financial crash in 21 pithy scenes. Credit-default swaps and short selling have never been so wryly entertaining or easy to understand. With the odd exception – the musical pot shot at the disgraced Fred Goodwin lacks subtlety – James Yarker's production never sells its audience's intelligence short. It also has plenty of fun while never neglecting the tragedy of ordinary people whose savings and pensions are the casualties in the greedy rush for gain.